it. we'll check in with you a little later on at the top of the hour. clearly a very serious situation as police themselves also potential targets. we'll see you back here at the the top of the hour. first dr. sanjay gupta. thanks for joining us. i'm reporting in london. you can see the tower bridge over my right shoulder. we want to start with big news with malala, the teenaged girl shot by fall ban gunmen for the simple crime of going to school. she just came through a critical operation. also, a lesson about tea. i love it. but what are the real health benefits? plus an interview i did back home with monday morning star actors, talking about what it's like playing the role of surgeon. let's get started. as you may know from watching this program, in the united states, there is an epidemic of accident al

overdoses from prescription pain killers. in fact someone dies every 19 minutes. i can tell you those numbers astonish\doctors here in the uk. so the question is, is there a british way of treating all sorts of pain that is safer? the problem this part is that here in the united states, we are being flooded with pain killerses. consider this. americans take 80% of the world's pain killers. 80%. so how did we quietly become a country inundated with pain pills? some believe it all began when pain was designated the fifth vital sign. >> i think physicians around year 2000 started to get pushed to better manage pain and the physicians in our culture, that means give out more medication. >> doctors prescribe the drugs for legitimate reasons, but also for conditions that could be treated with much milder medications or with therapy.

the result? we prescribe enough pain pills for gi to give every man, woman and child a dose every four hours for three week. remember, 80% of the world's opioids are used by americans. is that a cultural problem? >> yes. and there are a lot of people who live courageous lives in constant pain. but there is no question that since we represent 5% of the world's people, we got no business popping as many pills as we do. >> problem is, miss u use is rampant. in 2010, 20 million reported using a prescription without a medical need. it doesn't have to be this way. here in the united kingdom, opioid use per person is less than half of what it is in the united states. so why the difference? some say it starts with the doctor doctors.

>> the very last option pretty much. >> dr. ordman founded the pain management clinic at london's royal free hospital. when you give a pain prescription to somebody, fell me what you tell that patient. >> you must please stick to the dose i've prescribed for you. and you must not escalate it without medical permission. you must keep the medication locked up and safe so that nobody else can get their hands on it. you will please not lose your prescriptions because i'm not going to replace them. you are responsible for this powerful medication i'm giving you. >> but it's not easy. some say the controls are too tight. and patients might suffer. patients like ian simmons. >> i spent nine months in hospital and then 12 months in a rehab center where i was basically rebuilt. but nothing was done to treat my pain. >> ian broke his back. shattered his ankles. and injured his head when he fried to stop a robbery in central london more than 20 years ago.

>> when i came round, the pain, i had never experienced such pain as that. don't know what to do with it. >> simmons noufounded the group action on pain to help other patients navigate the system. >> the services within pain clinics vary considerably within the nhs. on this side of the road, i wasn't able to get the medication from the gp. i've been on it for a long time and it was working for me. so i changed gps and i went to one between miles across the road here and was prescribed the medication without any problem. >> it can take up to 18 weeks before dr. or can dman sees is patient referred to his clinic. these wait times can be quite wro long. >> sure. >> and patients may suffer. >> that is true. >> but he also says patients may fair better in a system where doctors work on a set salary. >> in most sectors of medical

practice in this country, the patient is not paying the physician. that takes away certain influences that the patient can have on the physician's thinking. >> it sounds like you're suggesting doctors may be more likely in the united states to write a prescription because they don't want to lose that patient. >> well, i just feel that that may be part of the picture. >> there is something else that may surprise you. i bought this 400 count bottle of a seat minute again at a drug tore in the united states. but here in the uk, bottles like this simply don't exist.minute tore in the united states. but here in the uk, bottles like this simply don't exist. if you need over the counter pain relief, this is what's available. just 16 pills. >> would it surprise you if i told you that i bought this, 400 tylen tylenol, 500 milligrams each, in one fell swoop? >> may i have a look? it frankly would astonish\me.

it's a bottle of death. >> buy horn 16 pills and you need a fapharmacist's approval. and even then, the most you can buy is 32 pills. also wig news this week regarding malala yousafza. just 15 years old. in october, she was shot point blank in the head by taliban militants. and she was left for dead. her crime was telling girls to go to school. she survived and was flown here to england where doctors have performed a critical operation. >> i have rights. i have the right of education. i have the right to play. i have the right to sing. i have the right to talk. i have the right to go to market. i have the right to speak up. >> it was those words malala a target of the taliban. she was on her way to school when gunman stopped the van and shot her at point blank range.

amazingly she survived and was flown here. the bullet struck malala in the left side of the head, it then went into her neck. and from the side, you see the bullet went right by her ear and damaged her hearing. the hand sized open part of the skull, that's the part doctors removed so spoke to relieve pre the brain as it swelled. and in the latest operation, doctors patched that up, using a custom made piece of tof this physical protection to her brain in the same way a normal skull was. >> doctors also gave her a hearing implant. it won't fix her hearing completely, but they say it will help significantly. >> i'm feeling all right. and i'm happy that whthe operations are successful. it was that kind of success that now they have removed everything

from me and i can also walk a little bit. i can talk. and i'm feeling better. >> for more on made her story, impact your world stage at cnn.com/impact. coming up, the exotic world of tea. what's healthy, what's tradition, and what's just weird. [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isn't a thing at all? it's lots of things. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. we're going to wake the world up. and watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. cisco. tomorrow starts here.

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a nice cup of tea. >> remember that old song, tea for two and two for tea? it trip to london would not be complete without a taste of britain's most popular drink. and who better to teach me about the tradition than cnn's very own richard quest. >> how do we hold our cup? >> i'll hold it like you do. >> well, okay. go ahead. you take the handle like that. you don't have to have the pinky up. >> you don't? i've been doing that for years. >> you may well have been, but

it's not part of the routine. we have this wonderful phrase. we haven't even had a scone yet. aah. that's the phrase. a nice cup of tea. and when you say that phrase, a nice cup of tea, you are company noting more than just drink. you're often hear people say i could murder a nice cup of tea. noting more than just drink. you're often hear people say i could murder a nice cup of tea. important thing to remember about afternoon tea is that it's not just about the sandwiches or the tea or the scones. it's about the occasion. and the nooers earsest animaaloe brunch. if i invite you to brunch, we both know that we'll have eggs and something, a muffin. but that's not what it's about. it's about that moment, that sense of occasion. so when i say -- when somebody says come to afternoon tea, you're bringing in an event, a

moment. more tea? >> please. what the heck. yes. >> more tea, dr. gupta? >> so is it the taste you like, are there ones that you consider more healthy? >> no idea. you've got me all confused. >> do you ever think about it in that sense? because some teas are higher this antioxidants. is that something you think about? >> not in the slightest. i find a herb tea or camomile in the evening, a ginger maybe in the mid-morning to give a bit of a boost. >> that's interesting. and then a camomile at night. >> yes. but i do find that rose flavored lemon hipped ginger nonsense -- >> how is that? >> very good. the other big question of which nobody will ever agree at afternoon tea is which goes on first, the cream or the jam. you cut the scone and you can

either put the cream on first and then the jam on top. or the jam and then the cream. and nobody seems to be able to agree on what it should be. >> so this is the cream. do you care how much cream you put on? >> well, i'm sure you do, but i don't. >> notice how well my scone is cut there. >> you're not committing surgery. you're making afternoon tea. >> just pointing it out. is that too -- is that an adequate amount of cream there? >> no. a bit more. enjoy yourself. >> are there absolute no-nos? anything completely violates the rule? >> any type of tea will do. i wouldn't go for coffee. you really should go for tea. and i think the only rule i would say is you've got to enjoy it. you've got to remember what you're about. you're about -- oh, i needed

that nice cup of tea. >> you didn't put any sugar in your tea. no lumps. just because i'm sitting here or -- >> no. i gave up sugar a few years ago. >> you did. for health reasons? >> i just found i was drinking too much of it. i was having two or three lumps here and a lump there and a lump there. before long, i was a lump everywhere. here a lump, there a lump, everywhere a lump lump. >> all jokes as side, in addition to its fascinating history, tea is really good for you. green, white, oolong, even black tea, they all contain powerful polly fee knolls and anti-obs dants in a can protect your immune system. some studies have shown they can low are yoi risk of heart disease, as well. try for example one cup of green tea a day to help keep your cognitive function sharp. this is important. if you are making tea yourself, steep it for at least five minutes. that will help release most of

those antioxidants. they call him the werewolf. it's because of his hunger to win. i'll share with you now the courage and determination of paralympic champion david weir. two olympics, six gold medals, beijing, london, a handful of world records, world championship titles and six london marathon wins. david weir is one of the top pair liowelismian athletes in t world. he's also confined for a wheelchair. all of it pure upper body strength. >> i can feel my legs, but they can't move. it's called spinal cord transection, which it was damage to the nerves in my spine. and the doctors don't know how, when or why. so it was a disability from birth really. >> he was just a young boy when

he decided not to let his disability keep him from his dreams of being an athlete. >> i was into sport very early. at school, it was my best subject. p.e.. i wasn't very good at anything else. so i knew that i had to get the sport right if i wanted for sto succeed in life. and i was very lucky and i was talented at an early age and wheelchair racing took over my life. >> he began training in earnest at age eight, joining team britain and started earning medals at the age of 25. and he's helping to train the paralympic athletes of tomorrow. >> just encourage them, give them advice and tactics and a way to push and way to sit in their racing chair. because i've got a lot of knowledge over the years. >> david says it's too soon to say for sure whether he'll make a push for the 2016 games in rio. but i can tell you after sitting

and talking with him, it's clear the fire still burns bright. up next, i sit down with two hollywood greats, alfred molina and dean rams. they'll talk about their new role as doctors. hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! ♪ wow. [ buzz ] delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? bee happy. bee healthy. with clusters of flakes and o's. oh, ho ho... it's the honey sweetness. i...i mean, you...love.

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ever wonder what happens when something goes wrong in a hospital? a lot of people may think a mistake happens and the story ends there. but tnt's new medical drama,

"monday mornings" pulls back the curtain and holds the doctors responsible. based on my novel of the same name. today i want to give you something a little special. a conversation with two of the show's doctors. >> it's been more than a medical show for me. it's a microcosm of life. >> the relationship between the doctors, the relationships between discuss our patients, the relationships between us and the building, that that kind of thing. >> we didn't know that doctors were questioned on things by their superiors. >> what a day, doctor. saving a baby, maybe saving a soldier. we don't know, because you never bothered to follow up. >> how would you describe this? >> he is not fooled in any way

in thinking his job is democratic. he understand he doesn't have to be liked, doesn't have to be everyone's friend. he has to get this job done for the benefit of everybody and how we feel about him is neither here nor there. >> the show is refreshing to me to play a character, look, i will give it to you straight, love me or hate me. >> schuhe just had a bomb go ofn her head. >> he works really hard, really good at it, people listen to him as a result of that. >> on this show, yes, but i think that ying rhames is like that in hollywood, but they don't always listen. >> is will a lot of overlap between and you your character? >> yes. i think some of and there was a joke has david e. kelly bugged

our dressings rooms. too many parallels. i'm not joking, i'm serious. too many parallels and sometimes i'll use the word brother. not too many people use that word. gotto uses it, you know what i'm saying? things like that. or you're my man. so i really think it's a joy working on something that has substance and truth in it. that's what i'm proud of in the show. >> the scripted drama shows are supposed to be entertaining and engaging and maybe educational. you think people will learn something from the slow? >> i will say i learned a lot from it, and this is a microcosm of life, and we happen to be doctors. if you change a couple of circumstances, it could be any job. it could be america. this hospital, chelsea general, could be representing america, and looking at some of our actions and our foreign

policies. maybe we need a 311 monday morning meet. >> i admit a case of every organization or bureaucracy should have -- if for no other reason, let's be candid here, let's close the doors and be candid with each other. >> if we had a 311 for actors it would be pandemonium. >> the ultimate goal of those meetings that alfred and bing were just talking about, are to learn from the mistakes. that's how medicine moves forward. a lesson for all of us. watch monday mornings on monday nights. on our sister network tnt at 10:00 p.m. eastern. still ahead, chasing life. what alcohol might be able to do for us. try fixodent. it helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it. wow. these are really good. you act surprised.

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we've already talked tea. so in this week's chasing life, we decide to talk about britain's second favorite liquid. alcohol. one of the hardest drinking countries in the world. a pub on almost every corner. >> probably between have 25 drinks, depending on a good or bad week. >> out on a friday or saturday night, i have five or six drinks. >> one drink can help your heart. it could reduce the risk of some cancers, but there are down sides, one big one? a lot of extra calories this is important. a six-ounce glass of red wine, a 12-ounce beer, two ounces of vodka, each have 150 calories. have one a day. almost 1,000 extra calories a week, and that doesn't include any